This invention provides a spill-preventive pet-training apparatus and method for use with a pet animal, such as a dog, in order to contain the lateral flow of liquid, such as urine, being applied to an absorbent pad at a volume and rate exceeding the absorption rate of the pad.
Various absorbent materials available in sheet form are known and used to absorb liquids and to absorb urine in particular. For humans, diapers or pads of cloth, paper, or plastic are available.
In the course of living with some pets, including dogs, and especially very young untrained pets or very old incontinent pets, urination inside the human dwelling is an issue. Absorbent sheets or pads can be used, and many pets can be trained to seek such an absorbent pad for urination. But the available absorbent sheets or pads are prone to spillage because the urine is applied at a fast rate to a small area of the pad, the pad's rate of absorption is low, and the urine flows laterally, spilling off the pad.
Although this issue applies very clearly to dogs, even some cats are known to have proclivities to urinate outside of a litter box, especially when old or sick, and other, less traditional pets can also present the issue.
Several patents and publications discuss the use of a leak-proof puppy training pad with various layers of absorbable material, which differ in the overall construction of the pet pans, including whether the pans or pads can be made flexible and disposable, as in the present invention.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0234253, published Sept. 20, 2012 to Michele Malm et al. for a “Portable Pet Toilet,” discloses a portable pet toilet comprising three layers: a surface layer designed such that a pet is encouraged to urinate upon it; a bottom layer (shield layer) designed to prevent urine from contaminating any floor material upon which it rests; and an intermediate layer designed to absorb and retain the amount of urine that can be expected to be excreted by the pet. The bottom layer is afforded with a means for securing the position of the other two layers while allowing all three layers to be formed into a compact roll to facilitate portability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,347, issued on Aug. 25, 1998 to Kengo Ochi for an “Absorbent Panel for Pet Animals,” discloses an absorbent panel for pet animals such as dogs and cats, comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and a liquid-absorbent core panel therebetween. The core panel in turn comprises a relatively thin central region and a relatively thick side region.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,495, issued Dec. 17, 1968 to Henry Allen Wilson for a “Pet Pan with Disposable Lining,” covers a pet commode and is an improvement in which a pan is provided that is impervious to liquid. The pan may be lined with paper, and is provided with means for holding the paper in position so that the animal may not remove it.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,273 issued Nov. 8, 1966 to E. E Prentice and covers an “Absorbent Pad.” The invention relates to an absorbent pad and is particularly concerned with absorption or taking up of liquids into said pad to be retained and stored therein, a general object of the invention being to provide an article of manufacture that is particularly suited for use as a floor covering or the like and adapted to receive and store liquids contacting the same, while affording protection to the underlying floor. By “floor,” the invention means to cover broadly any supporting surface, whether it be that of a building structure, vehicular body or container, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,834 issued Feb. 17, 1981 to Stephen Cheselka for a “Pet Sanitary Facility.” The invention covers a pet sanitary facility having a stack of a plurality of liquid impervious layers and a plurality of liquid absorbent layers, interleaved with each other, located below a perforated platform member made of non-liquid absorbent material. The peripheral portions of the stack may have support means surrounding same to raise the peripheral portions thereof. Spacer and support means are provided between the platform member and the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,900, issued Dec. 14, 1971 to Fred Failla for a “Disposable Dog Commode,” discloses an inexpensive disposable dog commode comprising a preferably square, flexible sheet of moistureproof material adapted to be spread upon a flat-supporting surface such as a floor, pavement, or the like. The sheet is to be held in such position while the dog uses same, followed by the contraction of the edges and corners of the sheet to enclose the excrement for disposal in a suitable waste receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,417, issued Jun. 4, 1968 to E. C. Machowski for a “Sanitary Station for Pet Animals,” discloses a sanitary enclosure, and more particularly a sanitary station for pet animals, which is liquid-proof and affords additional protection for the floor, rugs, furniture, etc. The sanitary station comprises a rectangular plate-like station member, a means defining a rectangular enclosure within the main portion of said station member and spaced from the edge thereof, layers of liquid absorbing litter material within said enclosure, the edge portions of said station member assume inwardly inclining, angular configurations for directing the liquid from said edge portions into said enclosure, said enclosure being provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed holes adjacent the top surface of said station member for admitting said liquid therein, and leg members for supporting said edge portions and spacing them from the flat surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,647 issued Dec. 19, 1967 to H. A. Wilson for a “Pet Pan,” and covers a pet commode or toilet pan, and more particularly covers a foldable and disposable receptacle for use in receiving an animal and its excretions. The animal toilet comprises a planar plural sided closed frame member and a liquid impervious bag loosely enclosing the frame, and provides a dished pan having sides formed by said frame and an intermediate double-thickness wall rested upon a supporting surface for the frame.
There exists a need for an absorbent pad that is capable of slowing and containing the lateral flow of liquid such as urine during the time required for the pad to absorb all of the liquid.